


From The Outside

by Live



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Apparently Cloak of Levitation Doesn't Get A Character Tag, Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Multiple, so unfair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 16:49:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19322206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Live/pseuds/Live
Summary: Being a sentient life-form surrounded by humanity can be hard. Especially when said humans just can't admit their feelings for each other.





	From The Outside

IronStrange (the sentient life forms in their lives trying to get them together).

.  
FRIDAY  
.

FRIDAY was admittedly getting frustrated with the Boss. It wasn’t really all that unusual if she was honest, of which she was programmed to be. She had no problem telling the Boss when he annoyed her or was doing something stupid and needlessly life threatening. But, right now the frustration was painful. 

“A photographic memory is useless if the information you’re retaining is incorrect,” the Boss says, pointing one finger towards Doctor Strange, before pointing to himself. “Whereas with a brain like mine, I can create new information for newer greater discoveries.”

“Anyone can retain incorrect data, the point is to go and discover what’s actually true- photographic memory or not,” Doctor Strange says, calmly. There’s a grin quirking his lips upwards. “And did you just say you can create new information? What? Do you think you can just dismiss facts if it doesn’t suit your fancy?”

“Obviously not, but if I don’t know the answer it’s probably not something that exists yet so,” the Boss gestures to his entire self. “I’ll make new information. New discoveries.”

“There’s no way you know everything, even I don’t know everything,” Doctor Strange moves slowly to the side and to FRIDAY’s cameras and sensors it looks like they’re circling each other. Each prepared to rush out and tackle the other to the ground. It’s frustrating.

“Try me, Saruman,” the Boss says.

“Alright,” Doctor Strange looks pleased. “What is the artist of the song “Hanging on a Heart Attack”? And the year of its release?”

“Device, 1986,” the Boss laughs. “We starting off easy, Stephen?”

“Obviously,” Doctor Strange smirks, “I have to give you a fighting chance after all.”

And this. This is what has FRIDAY’s circuit boards in a knot. Why weren’t these two dating? They met more and more frequently. Borderline flirt every time they see each other and FRIDAY knows they like each other. She’s the one who watches everyone in her buildings vitals. She knows their hearts beat fastest in each other’s presence. Knows there’s an increase of humidity. 

There is attraction between them and FRIDAY can’t bring it up. She had tried to out her Boss with subtle comments. Bringing up clinical things like heartbeats and temperatures just worried Doctor Strange, the man thinking it was a medical problem. Bringing up scheduling to the Boss when Doctor Strange was around didn’t have the two of them arranging plans together, just stifled their conversation. FRIDAY was going to just question the Boss’s feeling in front of everyone so he couldn’t lie to himself, when he clocked on to what FRIDAY was trying to pull. 

The boss had entered protocols into her programming that stopped her from interfering in his love life. Which led her to this. Watching as the two flirted about as well as a fawn learning to stand. 

She couldn’t stand it. If the two ever managed to get together she was compiling all this data as blackmail. The boss hadn’t put in a protocol against that thank god.

.  
The Cloak of Levitation  
.

The Cloak did not tolerate most people. People had a problem of either losing his interest or becoming malicious. The Cloak refused to tolerate people like that. Stephen wasn’t. 

He was self-absorbed, more at the beginning of their partnership than now, but kind under it all. When Stephen first looked at the Cloak with a curiosity, the Cloak had looked back just as curious. Then when the betrayers had attacked; Stephen, clearly still a novice, had fought back and the Cloak had to help its silly human, even if Stephen clearly didn’t understand which artefacts were best used in certain situations.

The Cloak was called fickle, but it wasn’t, the world around it was and the Cloak reacted in turn. The Cloak didn’t like fickle things. Which is why it shouldn’t surprise the Cloak that Stephen’s feeling didn’t die down, they festered and grew. The Cloak was kind of hoping they’d have died down.

Tony Stark was a man the Cloak didn’t really like. He didn’t hate him either, the man had proven to be a great ally on the battlefield. Someone who would fight to keep everyone safe, which was great, because keeping Stephen safe was a full time job that the Cloak could really use some help with, but... well the man had a complete disregard to the mystic arts. Leaning against millennia old artefacts. Insulting artefacts to their faces like they didn’t have feelings. If Tony Stark could get over that the Cloak might be fully accepting of the match between him and Stephen, as it was-

The Cloak reluctantly was still accepting of their relationship. Tony made Stephen laugh in ways the Cloak had yet to be privy to. It was an infectious laugh that made the Cloak joyous. Stephen for all his sarcasm and sass, was becoming more and more serious as he delved further into the mystic arts and it was good to see he retained his light-heartedness somewhere. 

So, the Cloak took to disappearing at times and reappearing on Tony’s shoulders. The shoulders were broad and sturdy in ways the Cloak wasn’t used to, and the Cloak often had to wrap its tail ends high on Tony’s body as to not drag on the floor, but he would appear and make a nuisance of itself until Tony phoned Stephen up. It never took long.

“Your Cloak is here again,” Tony would say in lieu of a greeting. “You might want to invest in a leash.”

The Cloak would tap Tony’s cheek in disapproval at that. It did not need a leash, it needed these humans to meet, so that Stephen can laugh, have fun and figure out what to do with his crush.

Stephen would appear in a portal of orange, give the Cloak a shake of his head, before offering Tony his apologises.

“Sorry,” he’d say, walking fully into Tony’s home, to retrieve the Cloak. “The Cloak can be a little fickle.” 

The Cloak was not fickle, it resented that. It adored Stephen and that was the only reason it subjected itself to flying all over New York to find the man Stephen liked so they could spend more moments together. The two of them never got that, no matter how much he nudged or brought them together. They just assumed he liked them both equally. They just assumed it was fickle. 

The things the Cloak would put itself through for those it likes.

.  
Dum-E  
.

Dum-E loves Tony. 

Tony had created him like a parent. Tony jokingly threatens to sell him off like a sibling would. Tony confides in him like a friend. Tony protects him like he would be devastated without Dum-E there. 

Dum-E loves Tony. Which is why he shares his best creations/possessions with Stephen Strange.

“Doctor Strange loves the Boss,” FRIDAY had explained to Dum-E when he had wondered why Stephen kept coming over to the lab. “The Boss loves the Doctor as well.”

Dum-E had whirled happily at that. Always glad to have a new face that loves Tony like he does. With a couple of happy beeps, he wheels over to Stephen and presents him with a wrench. Not just any wrench, the wrench Tony used for his cars; it’s a shiny silver (Dum-E always making sure to keep it clean) and old (or at least old in the sense that it was one of Tony’s oldest tools; he often changed them out).

“Thank... you?” Stephen says, accepting the wrench.

Dum-E beeps happily, his hand whirling backwards and forwards. 

“Leave the man alone Dum-E!” Tony calls out, Dum-E slowly moves away; planning on hiding, before turning to Stephen. “You can just put the wrench on the side. Stupid bot probably thinks you’re helping me upgrade my cars.”

“Or he thinks I’d upgrade them better,” Stephen taunts, hands toying with the wrench Dum-E had lovingly passed him. 

“You wish,” Tony snorts. “Do you even know what a car is, Strange?”

“I’ll have you know I was a car fanatic in the past, Stark,” Stephen says. 

“Oh, really? Not going to tell me how inferior modern technology is to your ridiculous magic circles?” Tony laughs.

That sounds like love if Dum-E’s ever heard it, so he keeps it up. Passing whatever important things are at hand over to Stephen.

The second time it’s a smoothie he had been preparing for Tony. Before Stephen even takes a sip, Tony has taken it from Stephen claiming Dum-E had probably dropped oil in the drink (again). Dum-E hadn’t, but the two are arguing over the drink; a clear show of love, so Dum-E didn’t mind the slander.

The third time Dum-E handed over his favourite dunce hat. Tony had made it just for him and he had happily brought it over to Stephen. The man had gingerly accepted it, Tony laughing the whole time. Stephen nonplussed had placed it on his head and grinned over at Tony. 

“Something wrong Stark?” Stephen had asked.

“Yeah, just the moron in my lab,” Tony had managed around the laughter. 

The fourth time Dum-E had handed over something, it was late at night. Tony had fallen asleep on the sofa and Dum-E was struggling to tuck him in when a bright orange light had flared to life behind him. 

“Star-” Stephen’s voice trailed off, as he took in the sight. The orange light disappeared, leaving silence for a moment before Stephen’s footsteps echoed loudly around them. 

“Leave that to me,” he whispered, taking the sheet from Dum-E and carefully spreading it over Tony. 

Dum-E left it to him, he could judge Stephen’s tucking in skills in a moment, for now he was eager to present him with a new important object. The new object was harder to carry. More fragile and had an awkward shape for his one hand, but he managed.

“What do you have this time?” Stephen asked, amused as he took the object from Dum-E.

When his eyes came across the object, his breath kind of stuttered, his hands faltered, but he didn’t dare drop the object in hand. He carefully runs a hand across the glass panel before helplessly looking up at Dum-E.

“Let’s just keep you giving me this a secret between the two of us,” Stephen said, his hands reverently holding the glassed object. “You mind showing me where to put this back?”

Dum-E was eager to show him where Tony’s heart was always displayed. It was kept near the back of a shelf, easy to find if you knew where it was; hard if you had no idea what you were looking for. Pepper, another person Dum-E loves, had Tony’s heart carefully set in the glass display with the words ‘proof Tony Stark has a heart’ engraved on it. It was a display that had saved Tony’s life on multiple occasions and thus Dum-E had no problem showing Stephen.

Stephen and Tony love each other after all. 

.  
Vision  
.

Everything Vision has learnt and knows is thanks to Tony Stark. His mind an amalgamation of JARVIS (an AI created and taught by Tony Stark), Ultron (a defence force that went too far due to Tony Stark’s genius and paranoia) and Tony Stark himself (in the flesh). It doesn’t surprise him when he learns how to love thanks to Tony Stark. His first foray in love is a failure, but that was to be expected; Stark had also failed at this particular way of flirtation.

“A pinch of paprika,” he had muttered, determined to make the meal just right. To reassure and comfort Wanda. 

He had recalled, from left over memories of JARVIS, that Tony had tried making an omelette for Miss Potts. Had brought her strawberries. Food was, if Tony’s actions were to be believed, a sign of love.

“I don’t know what’s in this, but it’s not paprika,” Wanda had said, holding a hand to her mouth. 

It was disheartening, until he recalled Tony had also failed like this. The omelette was burned beyond belief; Miss Potts was allergic to strawberries. Failure was to be expected in the pursuit of love. 

Then Tony found a new love. Doctor Stephen Strange. 

It starts, as far as Vision can tell, with the usual banter all of Tony’s relationships start with. That’s how it starts, but... it changes. Progresses. Before Vision’s very eyes they’re close to each other; sharing their darkest worries without fear. It reminds Vision of the conversation he had tried to have with Wanda.

“People love you Wanda,” he had prefaced, trying to reassure her that she wasn’t hated for her powers.

“Thanks,” she had replied, hesitant, not believing. 

He wanted her to believe him. To trust him. Believe in him. He wanted what Tony and Doctor Strange had. He goes over the differences between what he and Wanda had and what they have. 

Tony’s relationship started with continued meetings. Some formal. Some less so. Although, he and Wanda had been on the same team; their interactions were often surrounded by everyone else. Often guided by everyone else. Tony and Doctor Strange were stubborn enough to not allow outside interference. Vision won’t either.

He cuts off his tracker. Seeks Wanda. Requests a friendly meeting, just the two of them and... It works. They’re meeting at cafes and parks every other month. Just the two of them. Friends on the verge of something else. Not quite there yet.

Vision observes Tony and Doctor Strange interact. Calculates how to overcome this last hurdle in his and Wanda’s relationship and... It’s there. Standing right in front of him in the form of Tony and Doctor Strange. The way they lean into each other to share secrets, the way they laugh at jokes between themselves; the way they rely on each other. 

Later that very evening Vision flies off to Wanda. Shares his thoughts, his dreams; his desires. Wanda opens up; offering her fears, her nightmares; her hopes. It’s the most emotionally stimulating evening of Vision’s life. 

He sends a fruit basket to Tony and Doctor Strange in thanks for their relationship guidance. 

.  
Karen  
.

Karen, as Peter had designated, watched the verbal tennis match through Peter’s quick back and forth head tilts.

“That’s not how this is going to go down!” Mr Stark, as Peter likes to call him, gestured outwards in frustration. 

“You think you get to decide how this goes down?” Doctor Strange says, calm as anything (though the way his jaw was locking spoke of an anger underneath everything). 

“Yes. I do! This-”

“I wish Mr Stark and Doctor Strange wouldn’t argue,” Peter muttered, so only Karen would hear. 

Karen acknowledges this. Leaving her mics open, to go over the argument at a later date, she turns her focus inwards. To Peter; her priority.

“They’re arguing cause they care,” Karen reassures him (priority one: make him feel better). 

“Oh, I know. I get that,” Peter says, barely refraining from waving his hands as he speaks. “Just, I hate seeing them like this, you know?”

“I don’t,” Karen says, honest. She thinks the arguing is a pointless waste of time, but she understands it’s an emotional outburst that needs to pass for humans to remain sane. 

“Well, it’s just they’re usually so fun to be around, but with all the yelling... you don’t think they’d stop working together, right?” Peter questions and Karen gets it.

“You’re worried they’re tearing this family apart,” Karen reiterates, completely serious.

“What? No! It’s not like that,” Peter’s sudden flailing brings attention to him.

“You alright, kid?” Mr Stark asks.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine, completely fine,” Peter’s quick to reassure, folding his arms together tightly to force the movement out of them. “Fine!”

“Right,” Mr Stark gives him one last look, before telling Doctor Strange exactly why his plan of action would ultimately lead to failure.

“That was your fault,” Peter mutters; sulking.

“Sorry, but I’m not wrong. You’re worried they’ll tear this family apart,” Karen says, unrepentant.

“They’re... they’re not even together. We can’t be a ‘family’,” Peter explains, voice slow as though he’s explaining to someone struggling to understand.

“That doesn’t stop of you thinking of them as family,” Karen refutes.

“Fine... yes,” he stresses, “I’d love it if Mr Stark and Doctor Strange were together, and I look up to them like they’re my Dads, but that’s never going to happen. They don’t think of each other as lovers and they don’t think of me as their kid.”

“They’re filling the room with unresolved sexual tension, Peter, I’m pretty sure they think of each other like that.”

“But, we’re outside,” is Peter’s unintelligent response, as his mind tries to process that. 

(Unresolved sexual tension? He doesn’t want to think about that! They’re like his Dads, but... unresolved sexual tension... that means there’s a chance they could get together). 

“Exactly, Peter,” Karen informs him. “They’re polluting the air with all the UST. And they definitely think of you as their kid, why else would they make sure you’re working with them? To keep an eye on you! To keep you safe!”

“Sounds like they don’t think I’m responsible,” Peter mutters. Karen sighs.

The only thing all three humans involved know something’s up is the distinct sound of metal hissing as it’s manoeuvred. Next thing they know the metal claws that are a part of Peter’s suit are out and pushing Tony Stark and Stephen Strange right into each other. It’s an awkward moment where bodies are pressed completely against each other, lips hovering over nearby skin and Peter covering his eyes.

“It’s not me!” He’s the first to speak, quickly dismissing his suits ministrations. 

“Kid, you’re grounded,” Tony mutters from somewhere against Strange’s collarbone.

Stephen represses a shiver (of delight).

“It’s not me! It’s Karen!” Peter insists.

“You and the suit are grounded!” Tony calls out, Stephen squirms.

“Could you maybe make an AI that’s not out of control for once?” Stephen says and...

They’re arguing again. Completely ignorant to how close each of them are. Completely ignorant to Peter’s mutterings.

“Wait... only parents can ground a person, right?” Peter asks himself, tentatively. So, one of Peter’s worries dealt with; just one more to go.

Karen keeps Mr Stark and Doctor Strange pressed together. She’ll keep them pressed together as long as they need; after all Peter is her number one priority.

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting on my computer for months, thought I'd finally get around to editing it and posting it! Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Thanks Tennants_midnight_wolf for the beta!!!


End file.
